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CNN Sunday Morning
Martial Law Declared in Pakistan; King Tut on Display
Aired November 04, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The oldest is 10 and there's a limit to maybe what they can give you in terms of information to help you to find the families and to trace exactly their origins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: This is such a heartbreaking story. Children snatched from their homes to be adopted by someone else. Stories getting even more intense today and it's something you will only see right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA: He says, we got to leave. I'm going to quit tomorrow because, you know, I'm scared to drive. I am going to get pulled over and I'm going to get deported and you're going to end up staying here by yourself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Happening now, a new immigration crackdown. In one city, it forces families to pack up and leave in a hurry.
NGUYEN: And want you to check this out. See that guy right there? Mummified. That is King Tut and he is on display for the first time. You'll see all of him and we're showing it to you this morning. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, bringing you news from all around the world. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes. It is Sunday, November the 4th. Let's get you caught up on what's happening.
Up first, the situation in Pakistan -- police patrolling the streets, the constitution is suspended. Here's what we know about the crisis happening in Pakistan. The country's prime minister says Pakistan will remain under a state of emergency for "as long as it is necessary."
Pakistan's information minister says parliamentary elections slated for January delayed indefinitely. Also, media and police sources say a round-up of opponents from the military, the judiciary and political parties is now underway. And meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushing Pakistan to end this state of emergency and get back on the path to democracy. State Department correspondent Zain Verjee is travel with Rice in Turkey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an exclusive interview with CNN, the U.S. Secretary of State called Pervez Musharraf move to martial law a big problem.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Anything that takes Pakistan off the democratic path, off the path of civilian rule is a step backward and it's highly regrettable.
VERJEE: A step Condoleezza Rice warned him not to take.
Musharraf has been a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, but the U.S. has been pushing him to shed his military uniform, share power with former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, and hold free and fair elections. Secretary Rice says the U.S. expects him to live up to that.
RICE: It is our policy, it is our view and we've communicated very clearly to the Pakistanis that the holding of free, fair elections is an absolute necessity.
VERJEE: Bhutto's triumphant return to Pakistan turned deadly, she was almost assassinated. Now the U.S. is worried Pakistan will be thrown into chaos. Secretary Rice urged restraint.
RICE: There really should not be violence. There should not be activity that will disturb calm because it's a difficult time for Pakistan.
VERJEE: U.S. Officials say they are reviewing their options but none of them are good. Even though Musharraf's move is a blow to the U.S. Goal of democracy in Pakistan, Washington may not want to do anything that could jeopardize Musharraf's cooperation fighting al Qaeda in Pakistan, the No. 1 U.S. priority in the region.
(on camera): U.S. officials say they know that general Musharraf's days could be numbered, but even with all his flaws, they add, U.S. interests could be better served with him than without him.
Zain Verjee, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So, if you think the situation in Pakistan doesn't affect you, well, you better think again, because we're going to show you in the next half hour.
In the meantime, though, tonight, senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson reports on how Pakistan has become terror central. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are regrouping, Muslim extremism is flourishing. "Pakistan: Terror Central," it's a CNN special investigations units report, tonight at 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.
HOLMES: Today, sheriff's deputies and search and rescue teams will gather for a vigil for Baby Grace. The little girl just died a horrible death. Her body was discovered last week in a plastic box. Her body washed up near Galveston, Texas. Well, today, deputies will lay a cross and a plaque near that same spot. Police released a sketch hoping someone will help identify the girl. And they believe she is two or three years old, just a horrible, horrible way to hear about a child's death.
Well, a lot of people, we heard yesterday from one of the investigators in that case who actually said that some of the tips that were coming in on that case about Baby Grace, some people thought it was Madeleine McCann. You remember that little girl who went missing in Portugal? Well, it's been six months now since that little girl went missing. Investigators in the Baby Grace case do not believe at all this is at all Madeleine McCann.
Now, Madeleine McCann's says she still believes her daughter is out there somewhere. Kate McCann released a statement saying six months is a long time for a little girl to be separated from her family, but she's holding on to hope they will be reunited. The little girl disappeared May 3. The McCann's say she vanished from their hotel room while they were having dinner nearby.
NGUYEN: Well, a 4-year-old Florida boy dies after being hit in the chest with a baseball. He was at this park with his older brother and officials say he accidentally walked in front of another boy tossing a baseball. The 4-year-old was struck in the chest and then collapsed.
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DR CHARLIE SAND, WFLA: It's rare. It has to hit the right spot on the chest and the right part of the heart rhythm to cause cardiac arrest, the heart to stop.
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NGUYEN: OK, experts say the chance of that happening are only about one or two percent.
And we also want to tell you about this strange twist to a story, you know the alleged student/teacher affair that we told you about yesterday? Well, check this out. The pair fled from Nebraska to Mexico. And now the 13-year-old boy may not be coming back. Officials say he's an undocumented immigrant, so he's staying with family in Mexico for now. U.S. officials are still trying to decide what to do with his 25-year-old alleged teacher there, also in that affair with her. The teen's former teacher is locked up, she faces kidnapping and child abuse charges. Authorities say federal charges could also be filed since she took him across the border.
HOLMES: Well, you know, we've been hearing a lot about states getting tired of waiting for the federal government to do something about illegal immigration. Some states are going at it on their own. Listen to what Oklahoma is doing now.
A major new state law went into effect last week and it allows police to check the immigration status of anyone they arrest and it makes it a felony for U.S. citizens to provide aid, comfort or work to the immigrants. The law is already having an effect on the immigration population. We get more from Abby Ross of our affiliate KTUL in Tulsa.
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MARIA: My husband was thinking about going back to Mexico, but I don't feel -- I feel like this is my country. I've been here forever, you know?
ABBY ROSS, KTUL (voice-over): Too afraid to show her face, Maria tells us how in two days her life has been turned upside down.
MARIA: I know they're not kicking me out, but you know, I'm having to leave because that's what they want us to do.
ROSS: Maria's parents brought her to the U.S. when she was nine years old. She met her husband in California and together they moved to Tulsa. They got good jobs, had three kids and recently moved into a home. They've lived in Tulsa for 10 years and last night, Maria's husband told her, they're leaving.
MARIA: He says, we got to leave. I'm going to quit tomorrow because, you know, I'm scared to drive. I am going to get pulled over and I'm going to get deported and you're going to end up staying here by yourself.
ROSS: Like thousands of Tulsa families, Maria and her family fear police will ask if they are citizens. The House bill 1804 gives officers that authority and even though police say they will only question criminals, Maria worries innocent families like hers will also be targeted.
MARIA: Now he's afraid to go even go to the store because I've heard so many stories of people just getting asked for their papers.
ROSS: Now she feels she has no other choice, but to leave Tulsa.
MARIA: Because where I'm going, I can't take nothing, you know?
ROSS: She and her husband quit their jobs, gave their dog to the neighbors and explained to their kids they have one more week of school.
MARIA: I'm sad because, you know, we don't harm anybody, we've never been in trouble. I never even got a traffic ticket.
ROSS: A side of the story you don't really hear, because too many people are afraid to talk about it.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Well, opponents of the new law are now going to federal court to try to stop it, but for now, the law stands. Some police we talked to are not sure how they're supposed to enforce it.
NGUYEN: All right, we want to get you the latest on that adoption scandal in Chad. Wire Services report that seven of the 17 Europeans charged with kidnapping children have been ordered free by the court. Let's take you straight to our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in the capitol.
Give us the latest on these developments, Nic. What do you know?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN NEWS SR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Betty, we've just head that the four Spanish air stewardesses that were being held and three French journalists are to be released. This has happened just as the president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, has flown here to Chad today to meet with Chad's president, Idriss Deby.
They're in a meeting right now, they're due to hold a press conference. But, it appears very much that the pressure of the French president coming here has accelerated the judicial system in Chad to allow the seven to go free. In the court yesterday, the head of the children's -- the head of the children's rescue agency that was trying to adopt and take to France these 103 children, said in court to the judge that the air stewardesses and the that journalists had nothing to do with his plans to take these children out of the country. That appears to be why they're being set free -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And as for finding the families of these children, because many of them have told workers there that, yes, indeed, I do have a family. It's going to be difficult. What do you know along that front?
ROBERTSON: Well, the very latest there Betty is that word is actually getting out to some of these parents in Chad who gave their children up, they thought for education -- education inside Chad. They had no idea their children were being taken away, taken to France. Some of those parents are now turning up at the orphanage where the children are being held. The government, at the moment, wants to make sure they have all the information about the children, that there are no mishaps again. So, the parents aren't yet able to see their children.
But, some of those children just too young -- a 1-year-old baby girl, just too young to give any information about themselves. And aid workers are still very worried this young baby and some of the other children may never be reunited with their parents. They do plan to start a big campaign out in villages taking photographs around to help that happen. The good news for some of those children, it appears, some of their parents already turning up to reclaim them -- Betty.
NGUYEN: That is great news. And another thing that we want to talk about, as well, if you can, just give us an update on those charged with this adoption scandal. What do they face, and what could be the ramifications of this? ROBERTSON: Well, Betty, they face very, very serious charges, here in Chad -- kidnapping and fraud. Now potentially, they could spend 20 years in jail, here. The court, legal process, has only just begun. It is somewhat chaotic. We've seen in the last couple of days, the defendants rushed across the city, sirens blaring, taken into the courtroom. The leader of the group, Eric Breteau, looked very downcast yesterday, refused to talk to journalists. There was a sense, certainly from the detained people we talked to, that they weren't getting enough help that their conditions were very bad. They certainly face a long, legal contest and very likely, very possibly, according to people here, could face long terms in jail here -- Betty.
NGUYEN: It's a story, of course, we're going to continue to follow. International correspondent Nic Robertson joining us, today. We do appreciate that.
And, as we told you a little bit earlier, this is a story that you will see only on CNN. Later today, you can hear much more about this adoption scandal coming up at 5:00 p.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM, an in-depth special with coverage from both Chad and France. Again, that's today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern
HOLMES: Well, a last-ditch effort could save Hollywood, for now. We're now less than 24 hours from the planned entertainment writers strike. All sides involved here plan to meet with federal mediators today, they're trying to hammer out a deal that would keep studios from shutting down production on some of your favorite shows. Good thing that mine is a reality show, "Flavor of Love," you know, that's my favorite show.
NGUYEN: That is not your favorite. Please tell me that's not your favorite show.
HOLMES: So, this is not going to be a problem for me. Well, the union as not been able to come to a deal with the studios over money for such things as shows released on DVD. So, hopefully they'll get that...
NGUYEN: You might get a lot of reruns in the next few weeks until this thing is settled.
HOLMES: "Flavor of Love" reruns.
NGUYEN: Or "I love New York," right?
HOLMES: Yes, see. You know what I'm talking about, baby.
NGUYEN: I've only seen it in the commercials.
HOLMES: Right. We will turn now to this -- look at this crazy video, a nightmare on the road.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All hell broke loose behind us. It just kept, bam, crash, screech... (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yeah, hell broke loose. That's one way to put it. Dozens of cars crashed and smashed, more than 100 -- yes folks, 100 vehicles involved in an awful wreck in California. You'll get the details on that.
NGUYEN: Want you to look closely at this, as well: Children being rescued from floodwaters. We're going to show you what is going on in Mexico.
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NGUYEN: Hard at work here at the CNN Center. It is 15 minutes past the hour on this Sunday morning. Our "Quick Hits" to give you more news in less time. First up, critical movement overnight in the tense Turkish border battle. Eight kidnapped Turkish soldiers are home now returning just a couple of hours ago. The soldiers were released by Kurdish rebel fighters two weeks after being taken in a deadly ambush.
HOLMES: And take a look at this. Can you imagine being caught up in this mess? We all fear getting caught up in something like this. We see big crashes a lot, but 100 cars? 100, folks. Cars and trucks smashed together in the heavy fog near Fresno, California. Two people actually died in this massive chain reaction wreck. Police arrested one man on suspicion of driving under the influence, but they say he may not be the actual cause of the crash. That could take months, actually, to figure this mess out.
NGUYEN: Well, this wasn't a mess. It was actually a success there up in space. Astronauts were able to finally unravel a torn and tangled solar panel. It took a pair of spacewalking astronauts nearly all day to make the dangerous repairs. The ripped solar wing was still generating electricity even as the astronauts floated around on it.
HOLMES: Desperation in southern Mexico. People there have been devastate by massive flooding. There are still tens of thousands of people who are literally stuck on their rooftops. Their only hope right now is a small army of helicopters. The helicopters are bringing water, bringing food and they're grabbing some of those people off of their roofs.
Well, there is no place like home, especially after two weeks of waiting and wondering if your home survived those California wildfires. Lonni Rivera from KCAL-9 in Los Angeles is there as one neighborhood gets the all-clear.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah!
LONNI RIVERA, KCAL-9 REPORTER (voice-over): Fourteen days and countless hours of hard work to fight flames, displaced residents from Silverado, Blackstone and Baker Canyon got good news. They're going home.
DANNY ATER, GOING HOME: Today, we've predicted the worst and now we heard the best. So, it's just great.
RIVERA: Danny and Denise Ater have joined close to 3,000 other people evacuated from 700 homes for two weeks.
CHIP PRATHER, ORANGE CO FIRE AUTHORITY: I got something I'm here to tell you today. You can go home.
(CHEERS)
RIVERA: The Aters are so happy to hear the Santa Ana winds are not expected to be a threat again.
DENISE ATER, GOING HOME: This was a surprise to us to find out we're going to go home.
DANNY ATER: Everything around our canyon burned except for our house so we're very blessed. We've been praying, our church has been praying.
RIVERA: The good news comes with a warning given the ongoing effort to contain nearby fires.
PRATHER: You're going to see fire engines going up and down the canyon road. There are a number of -- in a rigorous effort with the county to chip and remove debris from the streambeds and so we need your cooperation...
DENISE ATER: We're just excited to get the news to go home.
RIVERA (on camera): Returning residents were given fire safety tips with emergency numbers and information about possible mudslides.
In Orange, Lonni Rivera, KCAL-9 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right, a lot of weather things to keep an eye on. And our Reynolds Wolf has been keeping an eye on all of them. Noel still causing some issues, people keeping an eye on Santa Ana winds, so take us through it all.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know. That's what happens on the weekends. We always get busy. There's always a lot of stuff to talk about. Thank heavens. Otherwise, I would be out of work, would I. That would be bad news.
We've got again, some great stories, today. And one of the best stories we have is the one that's left of Noel continues to march to the north leaving New York with beautiful conditions. Much of the eastern seaboard will be beautiful.
However, take a look at what happened just over the last 24 to 36 hours with some of these i-Report videos. These are really compelling. This one was sent, this contribution that you see right here, were sent in by Seth Bond. This near Martha's Vineyard where you see not only the sailboats that are anchored in, but see some of these huge white caps developing farther off in the very end of the picture -- just a riveting thing to see.
Another contribution that we have from i-Reports this morning. Let's show you the next we have. This is from Edward Franks and this is just off the Jersey Shore. Again, more white caps. Now, you can see in the foreground, something that appears to be kind of black. That's an SUV. And on the lower right-hand side you also see a van, a large one, too, giving you just a good scale of how large these waves are.
Anytime you are able to send us in any i-Reports, we love to share them with everyone, but please do not put yourself in danger to take those pictures.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: We are going to keep you busy. You're not going anywhere, don't even thing about it, Reynolds.
WOLF: Good deal. Feet are nailed to this spot.
NGUYEN: OK.
HOLMES: Thanks Reynolds.
NGUYEN: So, just how high will gas prices go and is there a good reason for it?
HOLMES: Also, take a look at this. Might be your only chance to see mummy, King Tut. Heat, humidity and tourists are causing King Tut to decay. He's already 3,000 years old, doesn't need any help decaying. So, we will get into this.
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HOLMES: Well, do you find yourself griping, Betty, about anything? But, in particular, about OPEC or the oil companies every time you fill up your gas tank? Well, maybe you should redirect some of that anger towards Wall Street.
NGUYEN: CNN's Allan Chernoff looks at how investors are driving up the price at the pump.
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ALLEN CHERTOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prices at the pump are soaring yet again, the national average for regular gas now approaching $3 a gallon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's getting outrageous.
CHERTOFF: Is there a shortage of gas? Not at all. It's crude oil's rapid climb to nearly $100 a barrel, say energy experts, that's driving the price of gasoline as well as home heating oil. Yet, there's no shortage of crude oil either, say fuel distributors, like David Schildwachter.
DAVID SCHILDWACHTER, FUEL OIL DISTRIBUTOR: We have more than enough oil.
CHERTOFF: in fact, the Department of Energy reports oil supplies are above average for this time of year. And demand? It's actually declined in the past couple of weeks.
(on camera): Energy analysts say crude is rising because of fear there might be a disruption in the flow of imported oil. The last time there was a significant cut in foreign supply was when the U.S. invaded Iraq. Back then, the price of oil hit $35 a barrel, a fraction of today's price.
(voice-over): Andrew Lebow has been an energy trader for nearly three decades. Never, he says, have there been so many investors bidding up oil.
(on camera): Is there any way that the supply and demand situation justifies oil at this level?
ANDREW LEBOW, SR VP MF GLOBAL: No. I don't think so. And I think we've seen a tremendous inflow of speculative money coming in to not only the oil markets, but commodities, in general.
CHERTOFF (voice-over): Investors are putting hundreds of millions of dollars into the energy markets.
SAM GREER, EXEC VP MERCANTILE EXCHANGE: Well now it's as acceptable to invest in, let's say, crude oil or gasoline as it is to invest in IBM.
CHERTOFF: And many traders are embracing the old Wall Street rule, the trend is your friend. The trend for oil has been up and it's been paying handsome dividends.
FADEL CHEIT, ENERGY ANALYST: The largest financial institutions control oil price or dictate the direction of oil price, much more than any oil company.
CHERTOFF: Of course, the trend could quickly change, leading traders to bail out of oil. But for now, a major reason we're paying more at the pump is that big investors have been striking black gold in the oil trade.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.
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HOLMES: Well, Pakistan's state of emergency, a lot going on in that part of the world, right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are plenty of reasons why chaos in Pakistan would spell trouble here in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Our Tony Harris lays out why you should care about those troubling events overseas.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, trusted by more Americans than any other news channel. Now, back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
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NGUYEN: Well, good morning and welcome back, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. Here now, a quick look at the headlines. First, a memorial service today for a little girl authorities still have not identified. The body of the girl police call Baby Grace washed ashore near Galveston, Texas, stuffed in a plastic container.
NGUYEN: Also a major development in Chad where 21 are accused of a mass kidnapping of children. CNN's Nic Robertson say seven of those people, four Spanish fight attendants and three French journalists, have been ordered freed by the court because they were not part of the alleged scheme.
HOLMES: Also, Pakistan's prime minister said a state of emergency imposed by president Musharraf will be imposed for "as long as necessary." The country's constitution has also been suspended.
NGUYEN: Well, you might think the trouble in Pakistan has little to do with life right here in the U.S., but you better think again because the country may be far away, but the problems do hit home. Here's CNN's Tony Harris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS (voice-over): Do we care what happens in Pakistan? Why should we? It's a relatively small Muslim country half a world away. Their chief export? Textiles. And their one main adversary is India.
But there are plenty of reasons why chaos in Pakistan would spell trouble here in the United States. In no order, they are: The troops. Nearly 30,000 American soldiers and Marines are deployed immediately next door in Afghanistan. Remember, most analysts believe Osama bin Laden is somewhere in a rocky range of mountains between the two countries. Al Qaeda would certainly flourish in a country distracted by a worsening state of emergency. Then there is the issue of the nukes. Pakistan has them, India has them. They've already fought three full-on wars, mostly about territory and autonomy, and they still threaten each other all the time. It's safe to say the world is safer with steady fingers on nuclear buttons.
Next reason? Democracy. Pakistan's current president, Pervez Musharraf, took power in 1999. Literally took power. He was not elected. He hand picks judges, generals and lawmakers. His last re- election, he got 98 percent of the vote. That raises eyebrows in Washington where the White House would prefer to do business with a government of the people. Still, Washington regards Pakistan as an indispensable ally in the war against global terrorism. But it's a relationship that will only weaken if order and stability is not soon restored in Pakistan.
Tony Harris, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Tonight, senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson reports on how Pakistan has become terror central. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are regrouping, Muslim extremism is flourishing. "Pakistan: Terror Central," a CNN Special Investigations Unit report, that is tonight at 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.
HOLMES: And the Bush administration's steadfast support of President Musharraf prompted our Josh Levs to dig deeper into this relationship.
NGUYEN: Yeah, he joins us now with more on the Pakistan crisis, in today's "Keeping them Honest." What have you found?
JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you know, it's really interesting, guys, to look at what Tony was just telling us about and to think back a little bit in history. The fact is guy, Musharraf, is being criticized now all of a sudden for allegedly steering away from Democracy, but as we're seeing there, he was never really going that direction in the first place. He appointed himself to all sorts of powers. He changed the constitution. That's what he's been doing for years.
But, let's take a look at the kind of thing the administration has been saying for years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I thank you for your extensive briefing today on your plans to spread freedom throughout your country. America will continue to work in -- working with Pakistan to lay the foundations of Democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: I was taking a look through a lot of things that have been said through -- over the years and you see that a lot. You see that about Musharraf, specifically. You see it going all the way back to 2002, 2003. The kinds of things that he's been doing.
But, let me also just give you the general sense about how this fits into president Bush's foreign policy, because the fact is, it is a very important ally in the war on terror and in the search for Osama bin Laden. So, what we're seeing, any time the president talks or anytime Secretary of Rice (sic) talks in the coming days, we're seeing them try to tow a really tearful line, here. They need to maintain this as a friend and not weaken him as a leader -- right? -- while still standing for Democracy.
It's a very tough balance. We're seeing them try to do both at any given time. and we're going to have to keep watching that. When they talk, without weakening him, how do they push him toward democracy? That, ultimately, is a major challenge of the war on terrorism, guys.
NGUYEN: All right, Josh, thank you.
HOLMES: Well, the frontrunner -- we turn to politics now. We always know the frontrunner has to take all the hits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She has taken one position on torture, several months ago and then most recently has taken a different position.
SEN CHRIS DODD (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact of the matter is that my colleague from New York, Senator Clinton, 50 percent of the American public say they're not going to vote for her.
SEN JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Will she be the person that brings about the change in this country? You know, I believe in Santa Claus, I believe in the tooth fairy, but I think that's going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Wow. Candidates going after Hillary Clinton, will it take her down, though?
NGUYEN: Also abuse at Oprah's South African school, the queen of talk ready to break her silence.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, Brad paisley has been nominated in five different categories for Wednesday Country Music Awards ceremony. In this week's "Tips from the Top," we here how his approach to life has helped him stay successful in the music business. Here now, Erica Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brad Paisley's appeal isn't just online; it's on stage, too. His sold-out shows and numerous awards put him in an elite field of country music artists.
BRAD PAISLEY, SINGER/MUSICIAN: I get to walk out in front of thousands of people and play music and have the best time in the world. Any time you like doing something and that's your goal and you achieve that, and that becomes, say, your line of work, that is success, for me.
HILL: A native of West Virginia, Paisley's business philosophy is in tune with his approach to life.
PAISLEY: The world is about relationships. Being anything other than decent to people is, first of all, inexcusable, but second of all, it's bad business.
HILL: The multiplatinum artist keeps success in perspective with a humble, yet humorous approach.
PAISLEY: We're having a ball and hopefully they won't kick me out of the club quite yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, he is looking good to be 3,000 years old. Check him out, the unveiling of King Tut. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Good morning. It is 40 minutes past the hour on this Sunday. And the queen of talk is finally breaking her silence. Her school was rocked by scandal and tomorrow, Oprah Winfrey responds. She's expected to hold a satellite news conference about abuse allegations at her school in South Africa that will follow a court hearing for a former school matron charged in the case.
HOLMES: Well, a NFL coach living in a drug emporium? That's how a judge described the house of Philadelphia Eagles' head coach Andy Reid. Then he sentenced two of Reid's sons to up to 23 months in prison. The sons, 22 and 24 years old both violated their probation on earlier related drug charges. Reid, who has been the Eagles coach for nine years, says he will keep coaching, and will be on the sideline for tonight's game against the Cowboys.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, were you saying something?
OBAMA: Yes. I just wanted to let the American people know that, live from New York, it's Saturday Night!
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HOLMES: Yes, that is Barack Obama. A lot of you maybe didn't get a chance to stay up late and watch that, so we're bringing you just a portion of it. He went to a -- actually a Halloween party that was hosted by Hillary Clinton and he was dressed as himself. He got the big line last night on "Saturday Night Live." Well, sticking with politics here. Blood in the water for the Democratic presidential hopefuls circling around Senator Hillary Clinton. She's the early frontrunner, of course, but can she fend off the attackers from her own party? Amy Walter, CNN political contributor and editor of "The Hotline," joining us from Washington.
Amy, good to see you, ma'am.
AMY WALTER, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you very much.
HOLMES: Has anyone checked on Hillary Clinton lately? She got beat up pretty good last week in that debate.
WALTER: She did.
HOLMES: Is she OK?
WALTER: Well, you know, the only polling that we've seen that has been taken since this debate, actually "Newsweek" came out the other night, with a poll that showed it hadn't done any damage to her, at least in national polling.
Now, whether this continues is going to be a really good question. Obviously, you brought up "Saturday Night Live" where the line of attack here that she's not really who she says she is, she spends a lot of time sort of parsing her words, not being really upfront, that still in the news, and whether they continue this line of attack in the next debate, which is coming up in about two weeks. So, can she change the focus between now and then? That's a bigger question.
HOLMES: She's been trying. And she tries to give more of a solid front with all Democrats saying, hey, we should be going after the president when all of them are attacking her. But, is there a risk for these other men in the race to seem like they are all ganging up on the woman in the race? Do they run some risk of people saying, hey, that's a little too much to be up on the lady?
WALTER: Well, here I thin is the bigger risk, is -- and we've seen this over the course of the campaign here, is what Hillary Clinton has been able to do throughout this campaign when anybody has lobbed attacks at her, she's been able to sort of deflect them, put them off, as you pointed out, on to Republicans, saying, let's make this about how much we don't like President Bush. Let's make this how much we don't like Republicans. Keep the focus away from herself, that's helped her in that her positives have been able to rise a little bit. Her negatives haven't moved at all.
On the other hand, Barack Obama has seen, over the course of his campaigning, that while his positives have gone up, so have his negatives. So, there's a risk anytime you go on the offensive that your negatives rise up with that. Plus it opens you up to attack on your own inconsistencies. That becomes the bigger question is whether Hillary Clinton is going to respond. She has a risk, too. When she goes out and responds, she can see her negative ratings started to rise up. HOLMES: All right, let's turn to polls, now. And of course, we know about the huge leads frontrunners have in the national polls. But, the states are the ones that matter -- Iowa, New Hampshire, the early ones. But, let's look at these (INAUDIBLE) polls, we see who's out front: Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, of course, and then Giuliani on the Democratic side. We're hoping to put those polls up. Maybe we won't have them.
But is that what the establishment wants if you will? Of course, the people will decide. But do the establishment Democrats, the establishment Republicans want to see a matchup between Clinton and Giuliani in the national race?
WALTER: Boy, T.J., that's really a question of -- well, you bring up a good point which is, all right, who, if you're a Democratic person, you're a Republican person, who do you want to see? Now, I think on the Democratic side, it's a little easier; they've liked their field from the very beginning. And right now, even for undecideds, it's not that they dislike anybody in the field. That's not a question of being unhappy, they're just sort of undecided.
For Republicans, there's a real divide over who is going to be the most electable versus the candidate they see pushing the issues they care about and that hasn't been settled at all.
HOLMES: All right, and real quick, I've seen commercials now for "Draft Gore." Is this thing going to ever go away and people get over it that this guy is not going to run. That's what he says. But this movement just seems to continue with a mind of its own.
WALTER: Well, it does. But, remember, they've actually tried. They were up in New Hampshire this last week with advertising. Hey, guess what? Filing just closed in New Hampshire, Al Gore is not on the ballot. We're going to see more and more states closing their filing deadlines and Al Gore is not be on the ballots and then you can't talk about it anymore.
HOLMES: You know, we'll try to find a way to talk about it. Amy Walter, editor of "The Hotline," always good to see you, ma'am. You enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
WALTER: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right, folks, something here you're going to want to take note of. Starting tomorrow -- excuse me. I'm getting so choked up about this time change for Lou Dobbs, he's beginning at 7:00. I got to wait an extra hour to see Lou, now. He's still fighting for the middle class and talking about broken borders, just at a different time. So, this gives Wolf Blitzer and THE SITUATION ROOM a full three hours straight to cover all the political news. But again, Lou Dobbs starting at 7:00 Eastern, now, starting tomorrow.
NGUYEN: Well, King Tut has waited 3,000 years for this, T.J. Hands down, the most famous Egyptian pharaoh of all time. Now, the boy king is back in the limelight. CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us live from Cairo to explain what is up from Tut and judging from the video that we're looking at, Aneesh, it looks like he's ready for his close- up.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, he doesn't look too bad, huh Betty? All things considered, he's been dead for over 3,000 years. You know, our viewers should look closely. They're not going to see pictures like this for a long time to come. This is the unveiling of King Tut in all his glory. Essentially, they unwrapped him, they've put him in a new case that is Plexiglas, it's climate controlled.
The main reason is this. King Tut's tomb, Betty, gets thousands of visitors every day and all that heat and humidity is starting to affect the relics that are there, not least of which, the body itself of King Tut. In this case, they say, it can be better preserved. Also, of course, it's a further tourist trap, the fact that people can see in their own eyes the body itself of King Tut, is quite amazing. The whole event unfolded this morning at King Tut's tomb in Luxor.
He's, of course, one of the best known pharaohs because his tomb was one of the best preserved. He wasn't a powerful pharaoh at the time. He was a boy king who ruled from about none to 19 in the mid1300s B.C., but in 1922, a British archaeologist, Howard Carter, discovered King Tut's tomb. There were so many treasures in there that King Tut really became the iconic image of Egypt's pharaonic past.
Everyone, virtually everyone, would have seen that golden mask that King Tut had on his body before. A lot of people would have seen Steve Martin, of course, doing his King Tut song. King Tut's been in the movies, he's a pop culture icon, if you will. And now he's taken it a step further, bearing it all at Luxor for anyone to see -- Betty.
NGUYEN: We got a little bit of that Steve Martin music from King Tut. But, I want to put up a picture, here, Aneesh, and I'm not sure if you'll be able to see it, but our viewers will. We have a picture of what King Tut use to look like. There he is with all of his eye liner and the glory, there. Not a bad looking guy. But there has been some question, Aneesh, some speculation, some mystery surrounding how he died. What do you know?
RAMAN: Yeah, it's an unending mystery, really. There's a debate. Was he killed or did he die by accident? Three x-rays, Betty, have been done on the mummy to try and figure that out. Earlier thoughts he had been killed by blunt force to the head have been ruled out. The latest theory that he broke his leg while riding a chariot, maybe got gangrene, but we're never going to know the answer to this. The fact that he's been unveiled will just add fuel to the fire that is that debate of how King Tut died -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, what we do know is he doesn't look too bad, especially in the face, there. He's been preserved pretty well over the past 3,000 years. Aneesh Raman, joining us from Cairo. Thank you Aneesh.
RAMAN: Yeah, the Egyptians know how to do that.
NGUYEN: Yeah, they stay looking pretty young. Well, kind of, sort of, not really -- 3,000 years old. It's the best it'll get.
We're going to move on to this, though, because hurricanes, wildfires, we've seen our share of extreme weather and we want you to take a look at this, though. You won't believe what these guys are walking through. Looks like snow, right? Well, we'll give you a little bit more. In fact, it's not. Thirsty cow is pretty unhappy. Yeah, that means less milk from her mother. We're going to tell you more about that and what that means when it comes to money and your pocketbook.
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NGUYEN: This just in to CNN. We are learning that Somali pirates have left two boats they have hijacked in the waters off the horn of Africa. In fact, what's interesting about this as well is that those vessels were under escort by the U.S. Navy. Want to bring in now, Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr who joins us by phone.
Barbara, if I understand it correctly, the Navy is escorting these boats out to open waters so they can board them and see if everybody's OK?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Betty. Details have been unfolding for the last couple of hours. But, what we do know is that pirates have now left two merchant vessels that had been hijacked and held off Somalia since about last May. These are South Korean-owned merchant vessels, a total of about 24 crew onboard those two boats.
The Navy had been in bridge-to-bridge contact with the pirates, urging them to leave the ship, giving them directions how to disembark, get back on their little skiffs and go back to Somalia, back on the beach, in a nonthreatening manner so that they wouldn't be shot at. And apparently that is now what has happened and the merchant ships, now under escort by U.S. Navy warships and helicopters. They're going to go back out to sea and the U.S. Navy will send a boarding party to these two merchant ships and render medical aid to the crews.
You know, this whole business of piracy off the horn of Africa has been really growing very serious. The U.S. Military taking a pretty hard look at it. There are still three ships hijacked off the coast of Somalia, two fishing vessels and that Japanese ship full of benzene, a potentially very dangerous cargo. So, the U.S. military keeping an eye on the whole situation, trying to figure out how they can make all of this basically be resolved without having to fire any shots -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well Barbara, let me ask you just very quickly, though. When we talk about pirates and boarding other boats, hijacking other boats, you think that they would just go in, get the loot, whatever they wanted and get off. But, you said that this boat has been hijacked since last May?
STARR: This has been what's been going on, absolutely, off the horn of Africa, for some time now. These merchant vessels have basically very small crews, they're very vulnerable to pirates. And what these pirates basically want is to hold the ship and cargo for ransom with the shipping companies. And many of them have been held off and on for months at a time while they negotiate with shipping companies around the world who own the ships and basically hold them for ransom money. And it has just been a growing and serious problem.
NGUYEN: All right, good information, there. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us live by phone, today. Thank you, Barbara.
STARR: sure.
HOLMES: We appreciate that quick update.
Folks, we're going to take a quick break. We're going to be right back on the CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
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HOLMES: Well, you talk about some extreme weather, here. Look at this, incredible. This is from hail out of Bogota, Colombia. Powerful hail storms. The storm damaged several roads, caused flooding al lover the place. Look at that, he's walking around in all this hail that was collected.
Firefighters had to rescue people trapped in their vehicles by the ice and the water. Again, this is some extreme weather, again, coming to us out of Bogota, Colombia. Authorities are calling it the strongest hailstorm Bogota has ever, ever experienced.
NGUYEN: And it looks like they got caught off guard by it, because some of these cars are just kind of stuck in all of that.
Speaking of cars, want to show you some on parade. It's the annual vintage car rally in London.
HOLMES: Hey, look at these cars, though. They shipped in from all over the world, about 500 people participating. They are all, the cars, over 100 years old. That's a big deal because some of them still will drive 60 miles-an-hour, today. Certainly not a race, here, just a matter of which can make it to the finish line without conking out.
NGUYEN: OK, so T.J. was out last weekend because he was being honored by his alma mater at Arkansas.
HOLMES: Yes, I just went to prove -- I know there's some question around here, especially from you, whether or not I actually went to college.
NGUYEN: Oh please.
HOLMES: and graduated. I actually did. I just went so I could prove this. And yes, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...it was presented to T.J. Holmes, class of 1999 of Atlanta, Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Nice.
HOLMES: Yes, '99. Well, you surprised? Who's yelling out '99. Yes, I'm a '99 grad. Thank you. My executive producer can't believe it was '99, yes. But, yeah...
NGUYEN: What a great honor. Did you feel like big man on campus?
HOLMES: Well, I was the big man on campus.
NGUYEN: Oh you think, huh?
HOLMES: Well, not -- back in the day. When I went back this time it was not a big deal. But yea, it was a good time. Always fun anytime your alma mater recognizes you. The University of Arkansas.
NGUYEN: Much deserved.
HOLMES: The Razorbacks. Don't know about that. They were short on...
NGUYEN: Are you going to do the hog call for us? You have to do the hog call. Come on, do it.
HOLMES: You want to participate?
NGUYEN: I'll do it. How do you do it?
HOLMES: Boo, pigs, suey. You do that three times, then you yell "Razorback" at the end.
NGUYEN: All right, I'll work on that.
HOLMES: Yes, and you're a Longhorn.
NGUYEN: Hook 'em horns. It's just easy like that. You don't have to do all the calling.
HOLMES: Your school is going to be upset that you did a hog call.
NGUYEN: No, no, no, because I stayed true.
All right, we're going to move on to this. Please don't get me in trouble.
What is a couch potato to do when favorite TV shows are canceled? I don't want to think about it, that they could be happening if Hollywood writers strike. We're going to have more coming up on RELIABLE SOURCES. HOLMES: Plus, from prime minister to peace negotiator, Tony Blare is in Jerusalem right now. He'll join Wolf Blitzer live in one our. But first, we've got a check of the morning's top stories.
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